Shades
by bluejay
Summary: Despite the team knowing about his identity, Bruce still insists on Dick and Damian being incognito when out in public. Wally doesn't see why, until this day. Side story to Brotherhood.


Notes: Been wanting to do a fic with a certain move when I saw this clip on TV. Then a plot bunny came along and hopped around.

Notes2: Cover image was cropped and edited from a screencap from youngjusticecaps. tumblr. com

* * *

It was supposed to be a good plan - or, a plan with mostly good intentions but not necessarily a good idea. He, M'gann, and Kaldur had thought it would help the team get along with his little brother if they all went and did something normal together, like a bunch of kids hanging out. Connor and Artemis were neutral, but Wally... Wally never got rid of his misgivings about Damian even after that fiasco with the Games Master. And he wasn't quiet about it either.

"I do not need to earn his trust," Damian grumbled behind Dick, one arm clasped firmly around the older's waist as their motorbike sped down the highway. "I only need Father's."

Dick sighed, feeling the old argument rear its ugly head. He'd apologized for Wally when the others overrode the speedster and put the plan in motion, but Damian obviously couldn't care less what the rest of the team thought of him. "You need more friends, Damie."

"Why? I already have you."

Dick almost ran them off the road. Bat-honed reflexes though got him to lean opposite where the bike was dipping, correcting their balance just in time to avoid the car zooming past with its horn blowing. He breathed a sigh of relief before half-turning to give a quick glare at his passenger. "Don't startle me like that!"

"T-t. You are easily distracted, Grayson," came the retort, making Dick huff in exasperation. Of course, the kid would blame him. Damian blamed everyone and everything except himself.

Still, his earlier declaration of not needing friends when he had Dick - Dick didn't know if he should worry that his little brother was so attached to him or if... No, Dick shouldn't feel flattered that Damian was limiting himself. Dick was just one person. He can't be someone's only brother, idol, friend, best friend, teacher, tutor, confidant, all the time. He wasn't perfect.

But Damian's statement only brought home the fact that he _needed _to bond better with the team - even if he didn't want to. Everyone needs friends _and _family.

The two of them sped on to the mall in silence. Maybe by the end of the day, Damian would have friends that numbered more than one, or so Dick hoped.

The rest of the team was waiting for them by the mall entrance.

"Dude! It's about time!" Wally was the first to greet them, one arm outstretched as though to wrap around Dick's shoulders. Before he could reach them though, the speedster stopped, stared. "Why are you still wearing your sunglasses?"

"Bruce's orders." Dick replied glumly. He and Damian had ditched their helmets and slipped on the custom shades Bruce had them wear all the time before securing their helms to the bike. Wearing the shades had been one of Bruce's conditions to allow both brothers out in public and wouldn't budge despite how many times Dick tried to convince him to.

"In a mall? Dude! Talk about grabbing attention! People are gonna think you're a celebrity or something."

"Uh, Walls, we sort of are." Dick said, gesturing at both himself and his little brother. Being the adopted sons of Bruce Wayne, one of the richest men in Gotham, they'd both had their share of eye-blinding fame.

"Not in Happy Harbor." Wally countered. "You guys might be popular in Gotham, not here."

"He has a point, Rob- Dick," Artemis spoke up, "None of the kids here are wearing shades indoors _or _outdoors. You two kinda stand out."

Dick glanced around, and sure enough, the archer was right. No one else was wearing sunglasses inside the mall and already, one or two were beginning to stare at him and Damian. Of course, his little brother couldn't be bothered at all the extra attention being paid to him and Dick had grown up under the spotlight, several meters in the air. Being stared at was nothing to either of them, but it doesn't help at all if they wanted to be incognito.

Dick sighed and took off his sunglasses. "Fine, Walls. But if something happens, you get to explain to Bruce."

"What? Hey-!"

Dick grinned to himself as he walked past the others with Damian trailing after him, ignoring the speedster. This day might not turn out so bad after all.

This day was a bad idea.

M'gann had suggested they watch a movie together but Damian quickly shot that down. In fact, he'd turned down every suggestion his team made on things they could do as a group. So Kaldur suggested they split up to at least enjoy the day off - completely disregarding the main reason why they went out in the first place.

"There will be other days, Robin," Megan told him apologetically. Dick would've felt better about it if her eyes hadn't already strayed to one Kryptonian clone already walking away.

He'd sighed to himself and then was pulled into the arcade by an excited speedster. Unfortunately for them, Damian was still following Dick like a lost puppy, going with them to every game Wally wanted to play; including air hockey, which suddenly burst into loud victory music when the puck went in Dick's base.

"Damian?" Dick turned around, feeling a cold draft against his side. His little brother had stuck close to him the whole time they were in the arcade and Dick didn't think much of it until now when the boy disappeared.

"I finally beat you!" Wally crowed, his arms rose in triumph. "All those hours practicing against Uncle B paid off!"

But Dick wasn't paying him much attention, still looking around the arcade for a hint of where Damian went. So instead of countering with a flip comment, Dick just told Wally to "go exchange our tickets. I'll look for Damian." Then he left the arcade in search of his brother.

The transition from the beeping noises and flashing lights to the tamer fluorescent lighting and elevator music was soothing to his overtaxed senses. It was just then that he realized why Damian must have taken off so quickly; the boy had been genetically engineered into having enhanced senses, and the arcade's ambient noises must be dizzying to him. Dick mentally slapped himself for forgetting about his brother's situation in favor of playing with his best friend.

And now he'd lost his little brother.

"Alright, kid, start moving." The voice was low but the words easily carried right to Dick's ear, its menacing tone barely hidden unlike the blunt object stabbing at the base of his spine. _Gun_, his training told him and he had to suppress the instinct to turn around and start kicking the guy's butt.

"Don't turn around," the man hissed, giving another prod with his gun. "And don't tell your friends you're leaving or you'll find yourself with a bullet in your back."

"What do you want." He whispered back, keeping his eyes straight ahead. He had become hyper-aware of his surroundings the moment the gun pressed onto his back; some of the team should be strolling by just about now.

The gunman chuckled softly. "Isn't it obvious kid? You, the heir to Gotham's richest man and me, with a gun?"

Artemis spotted him as she came out of a music store. Her eyes immediately narrowed and one hand started to reach for her hidden bow but Dick jerked his head in a subtle head-shake. The archer's hand stopped and slowly dropped to her side as she went back to her casual walk.

'_What's going on?_' her mental voice was demanding in his mind.

'_I'm being kidnapped._' He sent back. '_Definitely not feeling astrous now._'

The voices of the others nearly drowned him.

'_What? Where? I'll be right there in a flash!_'

'_Are you hurt? We're coming to help you!_'

'_Do you need assistance, my friend?_'

'_I'm coming._'

'_Where are you, Grayson? I will kill who dares-._'

'_No!' _He replied quickly. '_No killing! And no breaking our cover!_'

'_Aw man!_' There was the sound of screeching sneakers in the distance and Dick hoped Wally hadn't been actually _running_ in public.

'_I see you._' Damian's voice was both a relief and a potential problem all on its own. Dick was glad he'd been the one taken instead of his little brother - he didn't want anyone getting suspicious of how a ten year old could outfight an armed and muscular adult. Damian didn't have as much control over his temper as Dick did.

'_Don't be ridiculous._' His little brother's mental voice was colored with affront. '_I will not bring unnecessary attention to myself._'

'_You are not to send this thug to prison in a body cast!_' He said heatedly.

'_T-t. Fine._'

"Take a left, kid." The man interrupted, giving another prod to Dick's back.

"You won't get away with this, you know," he retorted, ignoring the sharp pain at his back from the gunman's prodding. _That's going to be another bruise I'll have to explain away during Phys. Ed._ Then Dick had to block out the simmering anger that came from somewhere to his right.

'_I will break that man's back and make him a paraplegic,_' Damian promised.

'_For once, I'm with you on that._' Wally's comment was a surprise, but Dick should have known his best bud would be almost as protective as his brother.

'_We're still bros, Dick_,' the speedster shot back. '_For life._'

'_Cut the Hallmark moment, you guys!_' Artemis cut in from Dick's left. '_I can see two guys waiting outside the mall._' From where he was, Dick couldn't see the two she was talking about until one of them wandered in view of the exit before wandering back. Of course Artemis, standing to the left of the exit doors and ahead of him, would have a better angle to spot them.'_What are the chances they're waiting for our guy?_'

'_Very likely,_' M'gann was confident and Dick could almost see a shimmery figure ahead of him by the exit. '_I scanned their surface thoughts and they are waiting for our kidnapper to arrive. They also have two more allies waiting behind the blue van in the parking lot._'

'_We need to take care of the ones outside before Robin reaches the exit._' Kaldur was immediately strategizing to take control of the situation_. _It was one of Black Canary's basic lessons: take control, dictate the terms; don't let the enemy dictate them for you or you would have already lost. '_Kid, Miss Martian, handle the ones behind the van. Kid, get to them without using this exit._

'_Artemis, Black Tern-_'

'_I will stay with Grayson._' Damian interrupted.

'_Black Tern, this is not the time-_'

'_I will STAY with GRAYSON._'

Even Kaldur's exasperated sigh was clear in their heads. '_Alright. Artemis, Superboy, the two nearest the exit is yours. Pretend that you are leaving the mall and use this exit._'

'_Got it._' Artemis sent back. She and Superboy faked strolling uncaringly for the exit.

Four of the team were already deployed, and that leaves... '_Robin..._'

'_I'm not making a move until I get outside, A.L._' Dick said. '_I don't want to risk injuring a civilian while this guy is armed._'

'_Understood. Black Tern and I will back you_.'

'_Your help is not needed, Atlantean._' Damian sniped. His mental voice sounded closer than it was minutes ago.

'_Humor me._'

'_T-t._'

"Now don't go alerting anyone," the gunman hissed, shoving Dick into taking two steps before he pressed the gun again at the teen's back. Dick again held back the surge of anger from Damian. "And hurry up. We're not sticking around here any longer."

Dick did as ordered and hurried his steps a little. He came nearer the glass-paned doors and didn't spot the waiting thugs Artemis was talking about earlier. She and Superboy must have dealt with those two already. He hoped his kidnapper didn't suspect a thing when he saw they were missing.

In a moment, Dick was walking past the exit. He was still hyper-aware so the heat from the afternoon sun was almost burning as his skin - cooled from the mall's indoor temperature - heated to compensate. His ears picked up the heavy tread of the gunman behind him - still too close - and the softer footfalls of his little brother and his teammate.

Then one of the thugs shouted from behind the van. "Ches! It's a trap!"

Dick twisted his body to one side before the trigger was pulled. The gun at his back was aiming at air when it went off, barely missing Dick.

"What-"

Dick could feel the gun jerking as he spun to face his would-be kidnapper. But Damian was suddenly there with a roundhouse kick at the man's temple. The gun clattered to the ground as the gunman dropped and Dick kicked it away. When he turned back, Damian was already straddling the gunman's waist and aiming punch after punch at the guy's face.

Kaldur was striding forwards and clamping a webbed hand on Damian's shoulder. "That is enough, Damian. You will kill him."

Damian either ignored him or didn't hear what he said as the boy continued his assault.

"Enough, Damie," this time, when Dick grabbed his little brother's wrist, the boy stopped. "He's out."

The boy nodded, exhaled loudly and stood. "He should not have hurt you."

"It's just a bruise, Damie. It's not something to worry about."

"Hey, sorry about that," Wally called, jogging towards them. "One of the thugs was just stunned, and not knocked out as we thought."

"Incompetent fools." Damian sneered.

"Hey! I'll have you know it took a lot of skill just to pull my punch at full speed."

Damian crossed his arms. "You should not have pulled it."

"No way! I might break the guy's nose right into his brain! Uncle B'd skin me alive if I killed somebody!"

"Forget it, Walls," Dick sighed, dropping a hand on both his best friend's and his little brother's shoulders. "Damie's just toying with you."

The speedster snorted but accepted the excuse. Then he turned to face Dick. "You know, I guess this is why Bruce wanted you to keep your sunglasses on even in civvies."


End file.
